DOHA: Qatar is preparing a seismic code for buildings that is expected to be issued by end of the year. This was disclosed in a meeting of the Services Committee of the Central Municipal Council on Saturday.
The CMC had called for new standards and specifications for buildings, following recent earthquakes in Iran that caused aftershocks in Qatar and other GCC countries. Currently, seismic codes of Saudi Arabia and Jordon are being adopted in buildings in Qatar, the meeting was told.
The existing building code is being amended to include new specifications and a separate chapter on natural disasters and the requirements to withstand them. “Although there was no major impact of the tremors on buildings and installations in Qatar so far, we have to take all safety precautions to protect our facilities,” said Jassem Al Maliki, head of the Services Committee
The Peninsula
